Syrian students seek refuge from civil war | Robin Siteneski reporter | Joseph Nahabia was getting dressed to go to school when he heard a loud noise. It was 7:30 a.m. and his ears popped. He lost hearing for about 15 seconds. “We thought it was a joke at first, but then things got really serious,” Nahabia said. A car full of TNT had just exploded less than 100 feet away from his house in Damascus, Syria. It was April 2012, just about a year after the beginning of the civil war that has killed more than 100,000 Syrians as of July 2013. The U.N. Human Rights Office has stopped updating the death tally,…

Clark Neal | guest writer I’ve paid close attention to the ongoing tragedies occurring in Syria, and the intense discussion on how, or even if, our country will intervene in the matter. Riots nationwide I would like to extend from this topic based on my keen awareness of the turmoil that has occurred recently in Colombia, the home of my girlfriend. I would invite all of those who would like to see some sort of intervention in Syria to reflect on our past political efforts in Colombia. The policy of the United States in Colombia has been only in service of our own agenda. As a result, today, Colombia is facing one of its greatest…

U.S. should step in, oust Syrian leaders Bethany Harris | Guest Columnist Syria is in the middle of a conflict within its own borders, and between its own people. The “emergency” government that was established in the 1960s has been in power ever since. In the last decade, there have been many uprisings in an attempt to voice anti-government views, and the majority of these protests have happened in the last year. The military government, led by President Bashar al-Assad, has retained power by using violence. Freedomhouse.org, an independent organization committed to expanding freedom in the world, gives Syria its lowest ratings on political rights and civil liberties because of the one-party system and the…